Sins of the Past
by Patron Angel Tabris
Summary: Peace can not last forever, for those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it... (ha ha ha! chapter 4 is finally up!)
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: The characters that are used in this story that are from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and/or The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask do not belong to me. They were originally created by Nintendo and solely belong to them. Any characters that are not from either game, however, are my creation save two characters that are used in tribute to two other authors of FanFiction.net, Zania the Lemon Princess and Zeal. I have received their permission to do so.**

Note: I just want everyone to know that this is indeed my first fanfic and I would greatly appreciate it if you read and review. If you have any _helpful comments, please feel free to tell me. Also, if you have not played either Zelda game listed above, please be aware that this story will contain some spoilers, so keep that in mind. Thank you._

Sins of the Past

**Prologue**

****

Link could hardly stay conscious; his lungs were burning in agony, he was covered in his and this monster's blood, and the air around him was clouding up with the flames' smoke. But he had to… or else. 

Another deathblow coming. Dodge right. Swinging down. Parry. He couldn't even think straight. It was moving too fast for him!

_I'm gonna die here tonight._

_ Link looked behind him, saw his shattered mirror shield. It didn't even last one blow from the beast's weapons. It was useless now, so all he had to use now was his sword, a bow with a few arrows, and barely any magic left in his veins; just like his blood._

_Not enough magic to cast Nayru's Love. Shouldn't have used it earlier, stupid. And I'm out of potions. Jeez, I gotta stay awake__!_

_ All he knew was that this thing, this creature that used to be Ganondorf, whom he now dubbed as Ganon, had to be destroyed. It's all that mattered. He had been fighting for his life now for what seemed like an eternity, and so far all he had to show for it was his body that had been beaten in so many ways; cuts all over his arms and legs from Ganon's Kaiser blades, an even larger one in his side where it had gotten a good shot, blood soaking his tunic and hair, and burns from the new wall of fire that had risen. Most of the bruises on his body felt like his bones were grinding. To make matters worse, Ganon acted as if it wasn't even tired. So Link had to focus. He had to tune out Princess Zelda's cries, had to ignore the buzzing and somewhat useless "help" that Navi the fairy had to offer him, had to __focus on sending this beast to hell where it belonged. But it hurt so much…_

It's charging. Duck and roll. Look out, it's pivoting and swinging. Arial. Parry and counter. 

_Not that that mattered. Even the Master Sword can't pierce its unholy skin._

Link shouldn't have lost his focus. He didn't see the loose stones underneath his feet and slipped, falling right on his back. The wind was knocked out of him, he wanted to pass out, but he _had to stay conscious. _

_Move, move, MOVE!!_

_ His roll just barely saved him from being crushed under the beast's hoof. But looking up again, and he was lucky he did, he could see its Kaiser blade about to cleave his skull. He whipped his own blade up in time to parry, but not enough to keep it from slipping and slicing his left shoulder._

A new hot pain pumped from there, something to add to the rest. He thought he could feel his arm go numb, but that didn't matter. His whole body felt a bit numb. But still, he had to focus. 

He rolled between the monster's legs, turned around onto his feet to see it pivot on it's hoof just as quickly, preparing to continue it's work. Link stayed focused on the creature, but in the back of his mind his thoughts were racing. He had never expected before that Ganondorf would have survived not only Link's earlier onslaught, but also having his own castle collapse on him, something he did with his supposed last breathe. And yet he rose from the rubble, no, from the _dead, to transform into a __thing that resembled the devil itself. The thing called Ganon that knocked his sword outside the wall of flames it created, and yet Link was able to beat it __only into submission with the Megaton Hammer, a weapon capable of creating small earthquakes. Enough time to retrieve the holy sword beyond the wall of fire, and yet Ganon somehow got a second wind to fight and put the wall back up. Not just a second wind, but also a new immortal strength. Link could no longer just roll under its legs to avoid its blows and counter with his own, because it could now spin in time to parry and strike. It could now run with the speed of an angry bull. And its Kaiser blades left wounds that wouldn't stop bleeding and just a brush of them could tear open flesh._

Swing. Back flip. Duck. Roll. Look out for its hooves. Shoulder roll to feet. Block another swing. Ack, the pain!

The fight seemed like it would last forever… but then Link thought up a quick plan. He knew it was desperate, and it may only get him another blow on the creature, nothing more. It probably would just get him killed. But anything was better than defending himself till he fainted and died.

Link turned and ran as fast as his legs could toward and up a fallen pillar slanted upright in the rubble, half confident in his plan, half terrified of the thundering footsteps that ran after him. From the top, he turned to see Ganon about to crush the pillar with his giant blades. Link readied to jump.

The Kaiser blade swung. The pillar toppled like toy blocks. Link leapt from his perch over the horned beast and rolled on the stone ground behind it. He accidentally did this on his cut shoulder, and now a brand new pain arose, along with a new sound… his shoulder and collarbone cracking. He reflexively grabbed the hurt arm, now unable to hold his sword. He would've cried out in pain, but he had hardly any breathe. He thought he heard Zelda yell out something, but it was drowned out in the monster's roar. Oh man, I just wanna die now, he thought.

_No, gotta keep going. Get out the BOW._

_ Ganon didn't take long to step over the rubble and find its target. Link had to grit his teeth and pull out his bow and an arrow. It was difficult now since his left arm could barely move, and he was left-handed. Didn't expect that to happen, his mind raced, maybe it'll cost me my life._

_Quit thinking that way and shoot the damn thing!_

_ It was now marching toward him, only four steps away from lopping his head off. Cocking the bow and aiming at Ganon's face as best he could, he tried to summon enough magic left to form a Light Arrow, one of the only weapons left that could remotely hurt the beast. Seeing it flash in brilliant light, Link smirked and went to pull back for a shot… and felt his left arm not able to pull back the string. _

_SHIT!_

_ Two steps away now. He tried again, and still it couldn't pull. He knew it; the broken shoulder would cost him the battle. Ganon would kill him, strip him of the Triforce's power, and then go after the Princess._

_Oh, Zelda, I'm so sorry._

_ One step away. Ganon pulled back its arm for a killing blow, ready to chop Link in half-_

-and as if Navi could hear his thinking, she raced down to the bow string and pulled back as hard as she could… and released with enough power to send the arrow flying.

The Light Arrow hit Ganon right in the throat. The Kaiser blade stopped two inches from Link's face.

Link couldn't help but gap at this. His fairy companion just saved his life. She'd done helpful things before, but now Link couldn't thank her enough.

_Quit stalling. You've got your chance._

_ Link walked over, picked up his sword with his only good arm, and turned towards the towering monster. It was now trembling in pain, shimmering with the good light that the arrow had radiated with. Blood trickled from its throat that had an arrow shoved in it. _

_Like the blood that's covered my body, you bastard. _

He walked around Ganon, located its tail, the only extremity that was vulnerable because it partially exposed its spine. He admired his earlier handiwork of smashing some cracks open on it, and raised the sword above his head and struck deep between the hard scales, cutting into the nerves of the spinal cord. Holding on while the monster writhed in pain, he twisted the blade to add to its agony, hoping it would collapse from it. Ganon twisted, shrieked, and pounded the ground at the very touch of the sacred blade…

…and fell down to the ground in exhaust.

_'Bout damn time._

_ But he could hardly keep himself on his own feet, much less walk over to make sure the monster was down for good._

So to answer his prayer, a beam of light shot out at the creature, causing it to roar in pain again. Link looked over to the source, and saw Princess Zelda focusing her power. The wall of fire had dissipated again. The Princess turned her head to him, while still pushing out everything she had on Ganon.

"I'm using my power to hold the Evil King! Now you use your sword and deliver the final blow!"

Link would've spoken had his blade not suddenly flashed in a miraculous light. The Master Sword illuminated with power, beckoning him to plunge it into Ganon's black heart with all the righteousness it stood for. Well, he would grant it its wish.

He walked forward towards the monster's ugly face, each step leaving a bloody footprint behind. Ganon's teeth barred with sharp fangs, and a deep unearthly growl came from its throat that still bled from the Light Arrow, but Link simply grinned and swung his sword once, twice, thrice, blood flying from the creature's head, howling from the pain. And as it brought it back to possibly bite Link jaggedly in the side, it met the blade's cold metal thrust between the eyes.

Time stood still.

Then the mockery of sanity the Ganondorf had turned into went berzerk. Dark power pumped out of its wounds like its blood, it kept screaming from the energy that no doubt attacked its brain. It's arms flailed wildly. It looked as if it might even explode from the power that would surely destroy it.

"Six Sages! NOW!!"

Princess Zelda held her arms above her head, forming a bright sphere that shone like the sun. The shock of discharging so much power forced her to her knees, but it was well worth it. The sphere summoned six different streams of energy into it, one from each Sage. It grew with power, and floated above Ganon… then formed a powerful vortex, sucking it inside the hell that awaited it.

All this happened while Link couldn't help but gaze in awe. And though he didn't seem to be listening, he could hear Ganondorf shouting in his mind:

"YOU… CURSE YOU… ZELDA! CURSE YOU… SAGES!!… CURSE YOU… _LINK!!!" The voice boomed at that. Link almost thought of covering his ears, but he knew that would be pointless. "Someday when this seal is broken… that is when I will exterminate your descendants!" He even thought he could see the bastard's face, covered with blood, in a state of shock, fury… and fear of his fate._

And, finally giving into the loss of blood and fatigue, Link let himself go to sleep.

"As long as I have the Triforce of Power in my hand…"

A hundred and fifty years have passed since the Great King of Evil, Ganondorf, was sealed into the void of the Evil Realm. Link was restored to his original time, and he returned the Master Sword to the Pedestal of Time, leaving the key to the Sacred Realm where it stood, and thus locking Ganondorf away forever. The Hero of Time, Link, could only remove the sword, and he and Zelda ordered the Door of Time to be closed for good. They still held the Triforces of Wisdom and Courage with them throughout their lives.

The Six Sages were returned to their time as well; though they would still become the Sage they were meant to be in the future. 

Zelda decided that while she would still be the Princess, she asked Impa if she would still train her to be one of the Sheikah as she had before. Together they gave rise to the tribe once again and were declared to be the Protectors of the Sword till the end of time. They even built their headquarters and home next to the Temple of Time.

Though those of the Royal Family did train as one of the Sheikah, they were not necessarily the ones in command. But only the Royal Family members could hold onto the Ocarina of Time. Zelda held onto it always and guarded it with her life.

Link returned to the forest where he could live a peaceful life with the Kokiri, even if he wasn't one of them. Navi left him after he returned the Master Sword and no one heard from her again, but Link would always get a good look at every fairy that passed by him just in case. He took one eventful trip, or so he said, into the forest for a while once when he was still a boy, but strangely, he never shared all the details with anyone (they felt he had his reasons). All he said was he was looking for an old friend, and found him. But for some reason immediately upon returning, he gave the Ocarina of Time back to Zelda, which he had still had until then.

He went into the towns on a regular basis to visit and do business. He would also visit the Gorons and Zoras now that he was a good friend with them. Although it took some time to convince Princess Ruto that he couldn't be her fiancée because (1) he wasn't a Zora, and (2) the Spiritual Stone was only used to get the Master Sword, not an engagement gift.

And though he felt no animosity toward them, Link visited the Gerudo as minimum as possible.

He did eventually marry, however, even though it wasn't Zelda. They cared for one another, but not that way. Instead, he married Malon whom he was attracted to from the beginning, and lived his life at farming. Working with Ingo took some patience, but they found a way to work things out.

Of course, Link and Zelda could not live forever. They died over the course of time, but the memory of the holders of the Triforce lives on in Hyrule, now at a new age. Trade across kingdoms has been established. New imports from distant lands have been introduced to Hyrule. The Gerudo have even opened their desert lands to new routes for such trade. Technological advances like the cannon and the imported musket and pistol have opened new wonders for the future, insuring law and order.

New homes have been built over the land, as well as several windmills built across Hyrule Field, and Lon Lon Ranch now holds most of the plains for its renowned farming. The towns have grown in size dramatically and where once were rock or grasses are now forests. The Sheikah continue to hold their position as Protectors, and the Royal Family has brought peace to Hyrule.

But peace cannot last forever. For those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it…

TBC…


	2. Chapter 1

Sins of the Past

**Chapter One**

****

                   "Are you sure we're planning this at the right time?"

                   Zagita looked up from the maps and writings to stare at the shorthaired woman who dared to ask such a question. The same woman who always had to question authority or express her worrying opinion about everything. Her baleful stare was enough to quickly put the woman back in her place. They had come too far now to have someone having second thoughts.

                   "Zaniia, if I ever hear you say that again, I promise you, you will be force-fed your own tongue," Zagita displayed her curved blade to prove her point. This resulted in a wide-eyed glance and gulp from the woman. "Everything has been planned for this night for a very long time now. Tonight the others are in position to strike, and the majority of the Sheikah are off guard because no foreigners have been sighted entering Hyrule, and we are supposed to be having our ceremonies. It couldn't be at a better time." Zagita leaned closer to her right-hand woman's face, enough for her to smell the tobacco in her master's breath. See it on her teeth, too. "And even if we forgot about those aspects, let's remember how impatient our team has been growing. Why, they're even more anxious then we are."

                   The two women went back to their work in front of them. Both of them were Gerudos, and ones of high position by noticing the size and quality of the jewels on their head ornaments. They were alone in this room where they held all of the plans they had been storing for years now. Actually, they were some of the only souls to be found for several miles. Their small headquarters was neatly placed in a pit of sand in the desert, added with certain camouflage that would seem completely invisible anyone from any real distance. Not that anyone would want to get that close anyway, for the area they were in was littered with quick sand, and only an expert of the area would be able to navigate it successfully without being swallowed up by the scenery. And then there'd be the trick of seeing the thing. Fortunately for the both of them, they were two of the three best experts, and they obviously knew where it was.

                   What they were working with and preparing for was something that only their group of thirty-one knew about, and these two were the ringleaders. Zaniia was in charge of relaying all the orders throughout the group, gathering and organizing the materials needed (usually through the art of thievery), and assembling the team to be in "position." Though she was a brilliant tactician and respected among the others, her only superior knew that underneath she was sniveling, doubting, and dubious. She was only chosen to be her right-hand because of her brains and experience in the craft. 

                   Zagita was the real mastermind behind everything. She knew all that went on in Hyrule everyday, whether it be a civil riot or a stolen chicken. She planned everything from the start, including the time of this operation. This ceremony that she spoke of was the Gerudo's Night of the Sacred Marriage, when the first Gerudo king and queen were wed at the Desert Colossus. Every Gerudo attended this ritualistic night to give thanks to them who were revered as gods and goddesses, and celebrated the anniversary of the present reigning king and queen, if he had chosen one yet. For this was always the night that he should wed his chosen soul mate. The current king was there, of course, but he still had yet to pick someone. Though he was only at his midlife, his wife would have to be much, much younger, for another male heir was not due for another fifty-two years. Until then, he would have to simply mate with the other women simply for the sake of procreation. No real love for someone was involved yet.

                   The Sheikah would let their guard down tonight because the Gerudo were the only considered "threat" in Hyrule. Their reputation of being thieves had greatly diminished since the king swore allegiance to the Royal Family and an act of theft was extremely rare these days; however, since they did once spawn a certain Gerudo king… And if all of them were out in the middle of the desert jubilating, why should they really worry about them? Well, unfortunately for them, there was a small group in the Gerudo that was not participating in the festivities. Nobody seemed to notice, that's all. 

                   Zagita grinned at that thought. They'd never know what hit them. She took another puff from her long pipe and added more smoke to the dense fog she had created above. For a moment, she sat there and simply listened to the sounds of the desert night outside, hearing the Haunted Wasteland's strong winds blowing against the outer walls. Not that she could hear it extremely well, she was an old woman. Some of her teeth were missing, and those that were still there were either crooked, dirty, or stained yellow from her smoking. She still had long, red hair, but many patches of it were graying. She was always seen wearing a long, black shroud-like cloak. She could never move too fast because she had bad knees and she wasn't in her prime anymore, but she usually preferred to stay out of the brawls these days. When it became unavoidable to fight, she stuck to weapons. But her dark red eyes had excellent vision, and she now looked across the table at Zaniia. The sight made her a bit sick, the woman who still had her youth, her healthy red hair, her quick reflexes and agility. And those forest-green eyes… ugh.

                   Now Zaniia began to notice that her superior was staring at her again. This made her very nervous. The look that woman gave her made her feel vulnerable, like for some unknown reason she wanted to tear her face off. Then she spoke:

                   "Zaniia, fetch me my son."

                   The second-in-command quickly got to her feet to leave the room to retrieve the other bit of the operation that Zagita was in charge of. The only other person who was an expert in this part of the desert, and the key factor in the task to be done tonight. Her son: Jereth.

                   Meanwhile, in another room of the secluded building, a young man of eighteen was sitting in the middle of the room, apparently meditating. The room was empty save for him, the red and gold rug that he sat upon, a black obsidian block the size of a large dog, and what seemed to be an altar with several candles adorning it and its golden shield with ancient Gerudo markings on it. If one didn't know better, they'd come in and see him facing the altar, and probably guess that he was praying to some Gerudo deity, the block being his offering. But instead, he was working on putting himself in a trance for the work to be done tonight.

                   He was a lad of great build, and apparently a Gerudo due to his dark tanned skin and very long red hair tied in a ponytail and trailing down his back, partially lying on the floor. His size was easily a head higher than most men, and he had almost no fat on his body. A lean physique accompanied his ripping muscles across his body, and a look from any other person would believe he was an incredible warrior to be reckoned with. They'd only be half-correct though, for the only fights he had ever really fought to the death were involved with hunting. All other fights were training spars. There were also the tattoos that decorated his back and upper arms, the ones that looked like the ancient symbols engraved in the shield on the altar. 

                   The clothing he wore at the moment only consisted of a pair of long, tan pants made from the hide of a hairy desert animal, a criss-cross strap across his chest for sheathing a pair of weapons, and a head ornament with a large cobalt colored jewel. It looked very much like the ones the women in the other room wore, except for the fact that theirs were blood red. To his right, he had a pair of tough animal skin boots and a thin black vest-tunic that had an inner lining of a silver chain mail. All were the proper garments of a great hunter. And finally, to his left, were his weapons of choice: a pair of reddish-colored cutlasses forged from an alloy of steel and the powerful rock from a specific desert cleft, making them virtually unbreakable and sharp enough to easily slice through other swords with a quick swath.

                   What he was focusing on right now was placing him in a battle trance that would allow him to channel his ability at the maximum and tune out any pain, tire, or exhaustion. And whatever his target was before him before he was placed in this state, he would be able to focus only on it without even trying. During a fight, he found these techniques invaluable. And while he could hardly remember anything that happened while he was in this trance, others had told him that he seemed to be an unbeatable killer while he fought in it. The reason he was focusing on this at the moment was that he'd been told that tonight's activities would require a fighting spirit ready to kill.

                   He could feel himself losing some connection with the world around him. He was feeling in tune with the fierce aura that resided within him. He began to lose whatever emotion existed in him. And now his senses increased threefold for a brief moment: he felt every inch of his body tense, he smelled all the aromas and odors that drifted from this room and the others, he could hear even the faintest noises around him, especially his heart beating like a loud drum.

                   He opened his clear blue eyes, saw the obsidian block-

                   -and in the next instant, he found himself standing above the block cleanly cut into four separate pieces, horizontally and vertically, his cutlasses gripped tightly in his hands. His breathing had not risen, nor had his heart rate.

                   Good, he thought, now I'll be ready to induce myself at anytime tonight. Once he had prepared himself and been induced once, he'd be able to return to the trance anytime later for several hours without spending a lengthily amount of time to channel himself as he had just done. His muscles were still involuntarily flexed and his senses were working overtime now. Even if he didn't put himself in a trance later, his current status alone would be enough to easily take on another opponent. He casually sheathed his swords behind him to the straps on his chest, avoiding it catching his hair now reaching to the small of his back.

                   He closed his eyes, took a deep breath. And he smiled. Whatever was in store for tonight, he'd be more than ready.

                   _Don't remove the key. Don't release him._

                   He jumped at the sound, his senses suddenly alert, his swords redrawn. He searched the room for any intruder. Nothing. Then what was that he had heard? It sounded like it spoke in his head, very faint and as if it were the wind were speaking. And it was a warning…

                   "Jereth?"

                   He turned towards the doorway, saw Zaniia standing there. Was she the one that spoke? No, it wasn't her voice. He lowered his blades, and could feel his heart. It was pounding now, and he was sweating. Something like that rarely happened.

                   "Are you all right? You look as if you've seen a ghost."

                   "No, I'm fine. Thought I heard something, that's all." That's all it was. His imagination was playing with him. "Did you need something?" he asked, now composed.

                   "Your mother summons you."

                   "Oh? We are ready then?" She looked at him now as she did with others, with an air of command about her.

                   "We will strike tonight as scheduled. Everyone is in position, and the enemy's guard is down. What about you? Are you prepared for the mission?" Jereth snorted at this.

                   "Of course. It's what I've been working on for the past half-hour. Whatever it is, I am ready."

                   "I hope so. Then come with me."

                   He nodded and bent down to grab his boots and vest. Now standing up, he put his swords back in their sheathes. Then he quickly followed her out the door. 

                   Don't remove the key. Don't release him. Indeed.

                   "Madam. The boy is here."

                   The old woman looked up from her work and smiled; though inwardly she felt irritated that her underling would speak of her son with such a rude tone. No matter. Now they would get down to business. "Bring him in, Zaniia."

                   The woman nodded and turned to allow the young man inside. He walked past his mother's attendant and stood before his mother, still sitting at her desk. "You needed something?"

                   His mother took a puff of her pipe, then spoke while blowing out the smoke. "Yes, Jereth. You are aware that tonight we have planned a mission. Do you know how important it is?"

                   "Only that which you told me. It will require precise timing and we are to be prepared for the unexpected. And lives will be at stake." He paused for a moment. "What kind of mission is it?"

                   "A mission that will determine our future, that's what." Both eyes turned to Zaniia, who had been standing behind Jereth silently until now. Zagita did not take this interruption between she and her son too lightly.

                   "When I want your input over briefing on matters I can handle, Zaniia, I will ask for it," she growled in a low tone, "Until then, will you please keep _silent!" The girl quickly shut her mouth. She didn't need to be on her superior's bad side any more than she already was. "Now, Jereth, yes it is a mission that could determine our future. What we are planning tonight is a raid on the Sheikah."_

                   Jereth stood silent for a brief moment, then spoke. "And why do we need to raid the Sheikah? What do they have that is so important? Furthermore, will someone please tell me who in the name of Nayru the Sheikah are? All I've heard so far is that they're a clan that protects the Royal Family."

                   "The Sheikah do more than that, my son. They are a powerful clan that could rival our own, and they protect a treasure that was passed down through the Royal Family for generations. That is what we are going to steal tonight."

                   Hmm, now this sounds interesting, he thought, a treasure to steal from a challenge. Finally, something that might be worthy of a fight. "And what might this treasure be, mother?" She grinned but did not speak immediately. Instead, she pulled out a scroll from her piles of papers and showed him the painting of a blue whistle. He frowned at this. "What's this?"

                   "This, my son, is the Ocarina of Time. This is the purpose of our mission."

                   "You mean we're risking our lives over an instrument?!" When no response came to his question, he sighed in frustration. "Damn it, mother, this is a waste of time! We could be raiding the castle's treasury filled with gold and ruppees, and you chose to go after a whistle! The guards at the palace are a joke, why don't we go after something of more value?!"

                   Zaniia was about to rebuke the boy for speaking so disrespectfully, but a sharp glance from the old woman stopped her before she could. Zagita instead spoke in surprisingly calm tones. "My boy, there could be nothing of more value than this. Though it may seem worthless to you, I assure you it will be well worth the fight. And even if it wasn't, why go after something like gold where there's no challenge at all? You know you could easily steal from the palace. This offers you a better chance to test your skill."

                   Jereth stayed silent at this, but was visibly annoyed. He hated to have such things pointed out to him like this. He then motioned for his mother to continue. "As I said, it is an artifact of incredible value to us. But there is something you should know about it. It is only carried by one of the Sheikah, and we currently do not have a clue which one that is. But we do know that the one carrying it is the princess, and she will guard it with her life." She stopped for a moment, taking another puff of her pipe and allowing him to let this sink in, and then continued. "The trick to this mission is this: the princess must not be killed to take the Ocarina from her. And since we do not know which one the princess is, that means all females must not be killed until we know for certain if they are not the target. But all male members are expendable." 

                   She took yet another puff of her pipe, and spoke in less pleasant tones while the smoke blew out her mouth. "And these Sheikah, like the princess, will defend the Ocarina with their own lives as well, but since they are a thorn in our side, I don't want you to even think twice about killing them. If you can simply bring them to the ground, fine then. But if it comes to it, then shed their blood."        

                   Jereth stood there pondering these objectives, more than a bit baffled. Why did it matter if the princess lived or died? And Since when have the Sheikah been a real problem for us? True, they were an obstacle in the mission, but a "thorn in our side?"

                   Zagita sat back in her chair, watching as her son's expressions changed, then spoke. "So now you know the terms, Jereth. The target is the princess and her Ocarina, we don't know whom she is so don't fight to the death unless you absolutely know for sure, and most importantly, don't hesitate to kill those who are not. Any questions?"

                   "About a thousand of them. Why does the matter of life and death matter? What's so important about the princess? How do we plan on doing this?" He would have gone on, but his mother stopped him.

                   "The details of how we will strike will come in good time. And don't concern yourself with some of our reasons. The question is, are you ready for it?"

                   There was a long pause. Then an almost inaudible "yes." 

                   Zagita cackled. Her hoarse throat resounded throughout the room. "Excellent. Then it is time. Zaniia, assemble the group for the strike. The moon is high, and our future beckons us!"

                   Outside the walls of Hyrule Town, the grass of the field blew softly in the night's wind. Faint sounds of the evening echoed from the forests around, and the pleasant sound of water flowing from the moat nearby added to the soothing melody. The guards atop the watchtowers stationed along the wall could hardly keep their attention on their task because of the beautiful evening. To anyone who watched, this couldn't be a better night.

                   But for those who knew better, its pleasantries were about to end very abruptly.

                   Nearby, in a few large patches of grass by the moat, two groups of Gerudos dressed in black were closing in on the outer walls. No one but those in each group knew they were out there.

                   Jereth and his mother were in the group of eleven other members closest to the town, while Zaniia stayed behind them with another group of eleven. Jereth asked earlier where the other six were, and his mother told him they were already in a different position ready to strike on their command. It took them a surprisingly short amount of time to reach this point all the way from the Haunted Wasteland because Zaniia had rode in the day before and cast of Farore's Wind in the nearby woods, a spell that would transport someone any distance in no time at all. All that was required was casting it again and they were at the warp point instantly. They didn't want to approach the castle on horseback because not only would it take too long, but also because of the simple fact that horses made a lot of noise, and if no one spotted them on sight, they would certainly hear them.

                   Before anyone else made a further move, Zagita stopped everyone and told them to wait a moment. She needed to speak to her son again.

                   "Are you prepared to seize your future, my boy?"

                   Jereth looked at her queerly, wondering why she just asked that. But to be safe, he cautiously nodded his head. She smiled again, her tobacco smelling breath wafting in his face, making him a bit sick. His senses were still working past their peak, and he didn't need that. In fact, he was trying to control himself because he could hear, smell, and feel everything around him over a very wide range. The bugs chirping, the trees rustling, even the guards in the tower breathing and yawning, all sounded loud and clear to him. If they didn't get on with this soon, it was going to drive him crazy!

                   "Then before we begin, I want you to have this."

                   She handed him a gold necklace with a medallion on the chain. He turned it to examine it. It held the engraving of three triangles put together to form another larger one. Only the one on top was actually made from a perfectly cut ruby. He had no idea what this was supposed to be, but it looked very nice. 

                   "Take good care of it. It will bring you luck." He quietly thanked her for the gift, but he still didn't know what she meant by all this.

                   She finally motioned for Zaniia to signal the others, and the girl made a noise that sounded like a large guay. She waited two seconds, and then chirped twice more. Three more seconds, then she chirped again.

                   Nothing happened.

                   Then the noise of two Deku nuts resounded off the walls. 

                   "We now have twenty minutes until the others make their move," Zagita told the groups, "so now is the time to make ours. Zaniia, lead us in."

                   Everyone complied with the command and followed her toward the castle walls where they would sneak in. The night's mission had begun.  

TBC…


	3. Chapter 2

**Sins of the Past**

**Chapter 2**

****

                   Getting inside the town took almost no effort. Four bags of sleeping powder thrown into the guard towers allowed an easy entrance up the wall without being spotted. Then a few jumps across some rooftops and some sneaking through back alleys brought them to their rendezvous with the scout who signaled them earlier. All this took a bit more time, though, to get Zagita to the spot because of her ailments.

                   The scout told them that they still had five minutes until the others allow them an entrance to the Temple of Time and the Sheikah headquarters. Until then, they needed to stay put where they were, out of sight in an alley near the market area.

                   Jereth couldn't help but look around at the sights. He'd never been in Hyrule Town before and it was interesting to see what the people did here. There wasn't much to see, though, since everyone except the guards who they hadn't incapacitated was asleep. 

                   But the stone statue in the center of the market caught his eye for some strange reason. It looked like it had been there for some time, maybe seventy years or so, and it was two people, a man and a woman. The man wore a tunic outfit that looked like what his mother had told him was of the Kokiri, the forest people, and he held a shield and sword in his hands. The woman looked as if she was a member of the Royal Family.

                   Jereth had to somehow get a closer look at them, but he didn't want to risk being spotted. Instead, he moved around a bit to see it from a different angle, and saw there was an inscription on the statue's base. He was lucky he was still in his trance stasis to be able to see it from his distance:

                   "Link the Hero of Time and Princess Zelda, Beholders of Courage and Wisdom."

                   What was that supposed to mean?

                   No longer interested in the sight, Jereth turned to move back to the group.

                   _Don't remove the key. Don't release him._

_                   There it was again! Jereth jumped again at the voice he had heard earlier, almost ripped his blades from their sheaths, having to stop himself because the sound would give away his position. He searched for the source alarmingly._

                   Nothing. Just like before.

                   But he could've sworn he heard it this time, it seemed almost twice as loud.

                   And to make matters worse, he thought the sound came from the statue.

                   _Don't be ridiculous. Statues don't talk. Fine, then who or what made the sound? And why__ is it telling me this?! _

_                   "Jereth!"_

_                   He turned his head to see Zaniia glaring at him. He immediately forgot what had just happened, or at least he tried. "What?"_

                   "What do you mean 'what?' You're practically in the middle of the market! Get back here where they can't see you! We're about to move in!!"

                   Feeling a bit stupid for letting his guard to falter like that, he followed her back into the alley where everyone was gathered, where many were also giving him harsh looks. Zagita, on the other hand, paid no heed to his behavior that almost cost them the ambush. She was staring at the small pocket watch that the scout was holding, counting down the time until they had to move in.

                   "Five, four, three two, one-"

                   Several loud cracks erupted from the Temple's direction. They sounded like powerful Deku nuts.

                   "Now's our chance! Let us move quickly!"

                   The five Sheikah guards atop the outside balcony of the Temple were even more bored than the guards at the town's walls. Disgruntled too. Nothing was going to happen tonight and they'd rather be inside with the others getting some sleep than joining the others at the two other balconies standing watch. Fifteen guards was too many for too little.

                   "I swear, I heard some noises out there."

                   _You're just hearing your stomach, the eldest one thought. Her younger, scrawnier male comrade and the masked watchman (she never caught his or her name) were the only ones taking their jobs seriously tonight. "Stefan, I keep telling you that there is nothing out there. We've been chosen to stand watch on one of the most uneventful nights of the year. Therefore, we were stuck with a bad job tonight."_

                   "But Beatrice, I heard someone speaking down there. And something sounded like some cracks a while ago. That could've been a signal or something. Maybe someone's planning an attack or-"

                   "Stefan, what you heard was probably someone walking outside to get their pet or put out something for the morning. And you didn't hear any crack. You're just getting paranoid." She couldn't help but sigh in frustration at his annoyance. The other two on the balcony were half-asleep and paid absolutely no attention to what was going on. And at least the masked one was quiet at his job. 

                   Nothing happened on the other balconies. Those over there were even more exhausted than they were. _Feel lucky; you don't have this idiot who won't shut up. _

                   Beatrice couldn't keep her eyes open any more. She began to slide down the wall near her. A little sleep wouldn't hurt anyone.

                   But before she went to sleep, a loud crack and cloud of smoke erupted from the two other balconies.

                   "Beatrice! What was-"

                   His sentence was cut off as a crack erupted from their own balcony, causing their world to go black.

                   The groups of Gerudos were charging toward the Temple now, not worrying about being spotted because there was now no one to spot them. Jereth began to feel more and more energetic. Now he'd finally get a real fight for a long time.

                   Seeing the massive building before him as he ran, he couldn't help but be impressed by the sight. It's architecture compared with palaces, and yet it looked like a cathedral. To its sides, it seemed that some parts of it were newer wings, extensions of some sort. They had balconies overlooking the courtyard below and… was that smoke drifting from them? And an arm drooping between its railings?

                   It must be where the others struck.

                   They now approached the front doorway, Jereth drawing his swords. He made a swift kick, knocking the double doors in…

                   And to his surprise, he ran into a great hall, empty except for an altar with jewels on it and a massive door.

                   He stopped, causing all those behind him to halt as well. Something was wrong, if this were a siege, they'd immediately run into a room full of startled warriors and begin the battle. If the room was empty, then they no longer had the element of surprise. "Zaniia, I think we've been tricked."

                   "No, we haven't. They'll be here."

                   _They'll be here? They knew__ we were coming?!  
                   As if to answer his question, from all the second level balconies of the room and the two doors opening up to each wing, the so-called "they" ran or jumped into the great hall to meet the intruders. The blue clad guardians gathered in front of the altar as if to protect whatever was behind the door, their weapons drawn. The tall, muscular woman in front, apparently their commander, stepped forward to address them._

                   "May I ask what in the name of Nayru you are doing here?!"

                   "I will answer that." Zagita said from behind. The Gerudos parted to allow her to step forward. "You have something I want. Are you going to give it to me, or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

                   The Sheikah commander had to grin in defiance. She wasn't going to be scared by this; they outnumbered them by at least thirty right now alone. "I'm afraid you're going to have to earn it, woman. And don't think you can back out of this. We have reinforcements on their way, and there are sentries outside already alerting the palace guards of your presence. Your best bet is to surrender and save yourself from losing your lives."

                   "Really??" She couldn't stop herself from laughing at this. "Well then, shall we get started?" Zagita snapped her fingers… and two explosions erupted behind the Sheikah, dropping at least fifteen of the warriors. "Attack!!"

                   And then all hell broke loose. The sound of metal clanging against metal rang throughout the hall.

                   Jereth ran forward, meeting the first Sheikah, a man with two daggers. Expendable. The fight with him ended as soon as it began, the man had attempted two slashes to the midsection, both dodged, and then received Jereth's boot heel to his nose. There was a wet snap; a spray of blood, and the man hit the floor. Too easy.

                   Now he approached three fighters, two men and a woman, with staffs and a sword. Easily taken care of with a few swaths of his blades, slicing through their weapons, and a roundhouse kick falling two followed by the butt of his blade against the back of the other's head, rendering him unconscious. Meanwhile, the rest were fighting the Temple's guardians with spears and scimitars flying. Losing those fifteen had cost the Sheikah direly. They now had more of an even fight, but they almost seemed no match for the Gerudo. True, many of them were more skilled, but the Gerudo had been training for this for a long time. The odds were no longer in their favor.

                   Now Jereth approached a female with a katana, slicing at two opponents on the way, dropping one of them. She slashed. Parry. Kicked. Block. Dropped to trip him with a sweep. Jump and slash. Parried.

                   Good, someone who has _some skill.  He backed away, still facing the woman, circling her like a predator. She mimicked him. __I'm afraid there's only one hunter in this game, girl._

_                   He quickly tired of the fight, and ended it. A swift rush and punch to her stomach doubled her over, too fast for her to block, and a hard elbow in her back brought her down. __I take it back you didn't have any skill. Just be glad you're a woman, otherwise you'd be dead._

_                   To the side, Zagita watched as her son brought down two, three, four more Sheikah without even trying. She'd trained him well; he was going to win her the Ocarina for sure. She smiled widely._

                   And felt a knife touch her back, followed by a masculine "don't move."

                   She froze. Obviously one of them sneaked behind her to capture her and force them to surrender. "Turn around slowly. Any fast move, and I'll kill you, woman or not."

                   She complied and faced the tall man, knife still ready to stab her. He seemed confident in his capture and couldn't stop grinning. "Nice work, Sheikah," she said. "I do believe you have gotten the best of me." At that she began to laugh hysterically. Now the Sheikah's smile faded, why would she laugh in the face of death? She stopped suddenly and stared at him, and said "Farewell," followed by a loud bang from within her cloak. The Sheikah took a look of shock and horror, and fell to the ground, dead from the musket ball now in his stomach. She'd had a pistol hidden within her coat the entire time.

                   Jereth stayed focused on the fight, but he wasn't unaware of the attack his mother just made. He knew that she did what she had to fight for her life, but he also had a sense of honor. Hiding a weapon like that and shooting someone was like stabbing in the back or fighting with a sword against an unarmed person. It was an unfair advantage. He didn't like seeing such an effrontery of honor, but he didn't have time to think about such things. Not that there was much to focus on, he'd dropped nine already without any real challenge.

                   His sense of hearing was what now saved him. The sound of a flying object got louder, louder… until he dropped one of his swords and spun to catch a small dagger thrown at his head. The attacker who had thrown it across the room stood in dead shock of this immortal skill; long enough for Jereth to fling it back into his heart and leave him to die. He picked up his sword, shaking his head in disgust. _Such dishonor, I thought they were supposed to be valiant as knights, not cowardly thugs. Isn't there anyone here worthy of a fight?        _

                   He finally met someone of some caliber before everyone had been defeated. A woman, dressed in blue like the others but wearing a mask to cover her identity. Hmm, interesting. She pointed her weapon at him, a double-bladed broad sword that looked very heavy. It took someone a lot of skill to use one of those, so this promised to be a good fight. Finally.

                   Zagita watched as her son faced the Sheikah, preparing for more of a dual than a brawl. But something caught her eye. She saw a glint from the body of the man she had killed, something tucked in his belt satchel. She bent down to get a closer look, never taking her eyes off her son either, who had now closed in on his prey and began to attack. Pulling out the item, her eyes went wide from the find.

                   It was the lens that could see what normal eyes could not. The Eye of Truth.

                   An incredible find indeed, it was one of the few treasures the Gerudo had not been able to pillage. Had they had this before, than plans would have been changed, for this could seek out the princess and the Ocarina!

                   Never stopping in her grin, Zagita placed the lens up to her eyes and began scanning the hall for which of the Sheikah was the target. She looked across once, twice.

                   And stopped, staring right at it. She never stopped smiling.

                   Jereth couldn't have been happier that he was fighting someone worthy, but at the same time he was getting a little frustrated. The girl he was fighting off had dodged or blocked his every move and countered with her own, despite the fact that he was in a semi-trance. He slashed at her head and feet at the same time, and she brought her weapon to block both, twirling it to come down on his head. He brought his own two up, crossing them to stop her blade, locking weapons. This girl was strong, much more than the rest. His muscles strained a bit, and he brought his leg up to kick her in the stomach-

                   -only to be blocked by her own. Then she suddenly let her sword go up, bringing the bottom end up between his legs. A swift back flip saved him from being sliced in half from the bottom up, but not quick enough to save his leg from being cut. He landed awkwardly, but still on his feet, wincing from the pain that pumped out his thigh. That had been the first time he had been hit for a very long while.

                   "First blood's on you, it seems," he smirked, somewhat amused that someone had gotten a shot on him. When he received no response, he continued, circling his mark, almost laughing as she did the same. This time it was the girl to attack first, thrusting her weapon toward his heart. He blocked with one blade, slashing a counter with the other. But again his blade only met her other end, only she wasn't even facing him. Now she spun on the ball of her foot, attacking with a barrage of twirling slashes at his face, stomach, and legs. Keeping up with her was more than an exercise for him, and he couldn't risk attacking or she'd land a blow. _How could she be this good?_

                   Her blade kept flying at him, almost in a blur. His own swords were steadily getting too slow for him to keep up. She was now forcing him back with her impossible skill. Then it happened. She very suddenly stopped her attack, while he was still reeling from it, struggling to stop his own swords, giving her an opening. She rushed him, holding her blade horizontally, slicing first his abdomen, then his back, and just missing his swinging long hair.

                   He dropped to his knees from the shock. Now it was getting serious. This girl was stronger than anyone he had ever fought in his life, and she was about to launch another attack. He'd have to switch to a last resort to stay alive, mission be damned. He closed his eyes, feeling his hunter aura rise, opened his eyes, saw the girl… and lost connection with the world.

                   Zagita saw everything happening, and was more than worried when Jereth's opponent got three good hits on him, but forgot all that when she saw her son begin to fight in a trance against the girl. He was now moving supernaturally fast, putting the Sheikah's past moves to shame. She lasted about ten seconds by blocking with her own weapon with some rather desperate and rash moves, and then she could no longer keep up. He was attacking her relentlessly, like some soulless monster thirsty for her blood. Zagita watched in horror as Jereth sliced her leg, then her arm, her side, and her shoulder.

                   _No! He's going to kill her!_

                   The mission would have been lost had she not seen the figures in the shadows on the second floor. She then turned out to her fighters, who had done a fine job bringing down the Sheikah.

                   "Gerudo! _Scatter!!"_

                   Everyone suddenly stopped their fights with the enemy and ran from the center, leaving the few Sheikah left standing there, and Jereth still attacking. She was now on the floor, covered with gashes and cuts, blood pooling around her, and he was about to slice open her chest.

                   And explosions happened all around him and the Sheikah. The shock and scent of the smoke stopped his trance and brought him to the floor.

                   When the smoke began to clear, all the remaining Sheikah were on the floor, panting for breath. The room was now filled with a purple fog and bodies, dead and alive, littered the ground. Seven of the Gerudo had been slain, and three more were wounded, but every Sheikah that was fighting was down. Some were killed, either by Jereth or others who had no choice but to kill. Jereth, too, was at his knees trying to get air and sore from his exercise. He was no longer in a semi-trance, and one of the side effects was that afterwards his muscles were tired from continually being flexed.

                   "You almost killed our target, Jereth. You should never lose control like that when a mission is on the line," Zagita growled as she walked out of the shadows where she stood watch. She stopped before him, and then turned her eyes to the fallen girl. "Isn't that right, Princess Liliana?"

                   The girl looked up at the old woman with a mask of horror, albeit in tremendous pain. How did she know? Then she saw what she was holding, the Eye of Truth. Liliana couldn't help but lay her head back in defeat. What she really wanted to know was how had she lost to this the man. What by Farore's Wind happened?

                   Zagita wasted no time to retrieve the Ocarina from the princess's satchel, holding the blue crystal instrument in her hand, gazing at it dreamily. _It's more beautiful than I imagined._

_                   She turned, seeming ecstatic, to the altar and ordered the other Gerudos to stay with the fallen Sheikah. As for Zaniia and Jereth, she told them to come.  _

_                   Jereth finally got to his feet and sheathed his weapons while following his mother up to the altar and toward the commanding Sheikah, who had been disabled by Zaniia's glaive. She was one the floor clutching her badly wounded leg, and spoke in a pained voice. "How did you do this? And why didn't we get help?"_

                   Zagita smiled and snapped her fingers, bringing five Sheikah warriors to her side. They all removed their masks to show their supposed white faces and blonde or brown hair, and wiped their cheeks to reveal a tan skin underneath make-up. "You should've paid more attention to your subordinates. These women have been hidden in your ranks for years posing as Sheikah, gaining your trust and doing your bidding." They all then pulled out of their satchels several Deku nuts that seemed larger than usual. "A special blend I prepared for this. That's why you were attacked at my finger-snap. And your 'reinforcements', I'm afraid, had the misfortune of running into them along the way." She leaned close to the Sheikah's face, "And I wouldn't bet on your sentries alerting the palace. They were rendered useless before we even got here."

                   She turned away from the woman, now terror-stricken by the news. The Gerudo had been sabotaging them for years, right under her nose.

                   Jereth watched as his mother and Zaniia stood before the altar with the jewels, an emerald, ruby, and sapphire. She brought the blue Ocarina to her lips and began to play a soothing tune that somehow sounded familiar to him, though he didn't know why. As she played, his eyes drifted up to the symbol above the door behind the altar, the three triangles that he had on his necklace. The triangles began to glow brilliantly, shining in a golden color like the sun. And before he could truly gaze at its beauty, the giant door opened loudly, revealing a new room devoid of anything but platform in the center.

                   Liliana wasn't too far away from the Gerudos that were opening the Door of Time. She had failed to stop them from doing what the Sheikah had sworn to never let happen again. But she still felt confident; they couldn't do any harm without… wait, what's that?

                   She could see from an angle through the Eye of Truth that the shorthaired Gerudo was now holding. It was looking at the boy she had fought, but there was something different. His hair… it's brown? Not red? 

                   Huh?

                   But there was something else. Around his body was a strange glow, somewhat greenish, and a golden light was shining from his hand. She couldn't quiet see it. But then it dawned upon her, even more horrifying than the fact that the old Gerudo knew whom she was.

                   _Din's Fire, it can't be! That's… that's the Hero of Time!!_

                   She tried to scream, but found she had no breath yet.

_                   Jereth now followed his mother up into the other room, a bit more confused because this was all new to him. She had never told him of this before. And there was a sword on the platform… but there was something about it. It looked… holy._

                   Wait a minute. That's the same sword the statue was holding.

                   "There it is! The Master Sword!!" Zagita laughed insanely. Now Jereth was getting scared of his mother. She turned to him. "Now Jereth, our future is sealed! Go, take your sword that is your destiny!"

                   "Mother, what are you talking about?" This met him with a less than pleasant look from her. She wasn't herself tonight, what was going on?

                   "Do not hesitate, boy! _Now remove that sword!!" _

                   At the moment, he felt it wasn't a good idea to disobey her. He'd get his answers later. So he began to walk towards the relic she called the Master Sword, hearing her still giggling with some strange delight. And from behind them all, he heard someone call out weakly. One of the Sheikahs.

                   "Don't remove the key. Don't release him."

                   Jereth stopped dead in his tracks and turned, taking a more than surprised look. Those words again! What the hell was that?! 

                   "Shut up, you whore!" a voice shouted from the hall, followed by a loud slap.

                   "Don't listen to her, Jereth, its nonsense."

                   He stood frozen for a few seconds, not sure what to do. _But what does it mean? Who is this "him"? And what "key"?!_

_                   "Did you not here me?! TAKE THE SWORD!!" Her face was red, and she was almost fuming now. Best to do what she says. He nodded and turned back toward the altar._

_                   He was now on the steps where the sword was apparently stuck in a pedestal. All the while he gazed across the platform. It had six different symbols, and in the center around the sword was another one of those triangle figures! What where these things?! _

                   His eyes returned to the sword stuck in the stone pedestal. How was he supposed to remove that? Oh well. He placed his hands on the handle, pulled… and found it come out quite easily.

                   Before he could speak, a blue beam of light surrounded him and the platform glowed, and energy shot through his body, feeling like his pain was taken away. It was incredible!

                   But the beam abruptly stopped and red flashes of lightning shook the room. A new crimson light formed above the pedestal, growing larger and larger. Freezing cold winds blew from it. And a large form was emerging from it, like a great man, along with a deep, sinister tone of laughter. Over the din, Jereth heard his mother mimicking the laugh.

                   "Yes! He returns from the void! Our King Ganondorf!!!" 

                   The form seemed to look down at Jereth. He didn't know why, but something told him he had made a horrible, horrible mistake.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 3

**Sins of the Past**

**Chapter 3**

                   The dark figure from the vortex began to gain color, revealing a giant man in black armor with red hair and tan skin. Definitely a Gerudo. And his eyes. Those golden eyes with red pupils. Jereth had never seen such a terrible look. Din's Fire, the man cannot be human, he thought.

                   The cold winds began to subside, and the vortex was closing. Whatever was in that void was now free from its imprisonment.

                   This man his mother called King Ganondorf dropped down to the platform on one knee, shaking the ground. His face was two feet from Jereth's, and he was panting as if he had not had a breath for a long time. Even though he acted as if his power was drained, Jereth could feel the violence and hatred pulsating off of him, like his very heartbeat pumped dark energy.

                   "All Gerudo, bow to your king!"

                   Forgetting the man before him, Jereth turned to see his mother and the others kneel in reverence. The ones from the great hall had now joined them too, and brought with them the girl Jereth fought down earlier, the princess. She was forced to a knee as well, though she could barely keep herself from fainting. 

                   His thoughts were interrupted by the dark laughter he had heard earlier from the man. He'd caught his breath now and was marveling at the sight. Jereth turned fearfully to look at him, seeing that his gaze had now fallen upon Jereth as before.

                   But his laughter stopped, taking more of a confused, but never less sinister, glare at the boy holding the Master Sword before him. Something seemed wrong.

                   "What is this?" his voice boomed, although he spoke in lower tones. He examined Jereth closely, scrutinizing his hair and looks. "This isn't Link. This can't be the Hero of Time."

_                   Link! Hero of Time!!_

                   The man on the statue at the market.

                   _What is__ this?!?_

_                   "No, my liege, he is not Link. It is one-hundred and fifty years since that time." Jereth's mind was racing wildly as he faced his mother again. "I am Zagita. This is Jereth, my son, and the descendant of Link. He has come here to free you."_

                   WHAT?!

                   Ganondorf was silent for a moment, and then began to laugh again, louder than ever, more than amused by this. The echoing sound this close to Jereth was hurting his ears.

                   "The Hero of Time…" he said between laughs, "is a Gerudo!!" He could hardly contain him self for a while, then stopped, grinning at Jereth. "Incredible. So you, my son, have come here to release me. Then I must thank you for removing the key." He put his heavy hand on Jereth's shoulder. But then his eye caught sight of the medallion that Zagita had given Jereth. He took hold of it, and his eyes grew more and more full of joy, albeit dark. "It seems that I am actually in your debt."

                   The man's touch was putting chills down Jereth's spine, but the words he said a moment ago was even more terrifying. _"Removing the key… Release me…" Was this the warning?_ More than anything right now, he wanted to get as far away from this inhuman man as possible, except it almost felt like his feet were stuck, too afraid to move.

                   Ganondorf took his hand off Jereth's shoulder and looked past him toward his mother. "So you have brought me the two pieces now, I presume."

                   Zagita rose from her bow to face him. "It could not be otherwise, highness. May I present to you Zelda's descendant, Princess Liliana." Zaniia pulled on the Sheikah's hair to force her forward, causing her to weakly yelp in pain. She was thrown to the floor, still too hurt to move. "We are your humble servants, and we would not disappoint you."

                   It seemed like every word spoken was adding to the confusion and fear racing through Jereth's head. _Zelda? That was the woman on the statue with Link!! And just _what_ by Farore's Wind were these "pieces?!" Why isn't anything making sense?!_

                   He turned back to the giant man, and once again saw that something couldn't possibly be right. His smile just kept getting bigger and bigger by the moment, as if Jereth's confusion was linked to his content.

                   "Perfect," Ganondorf said in the lowest of tones, almost a whisper and a growl put together. He raised his right fist past Jereth's face and held it in front of his own. A strange golden light glowed from the back of his hand, forming one of the triangles Jereth had seen before, except the top on was far more radiant. 

The energy coming from the man was utterly intoxicating to Jereth, but then he noticed his own hand began to glow. To his surprise, a triangle formed there as well, but it was the lower-right one that glowed brightest. The energy surged through his body, taking away his pain as the sword's power had before, save for this time he noticed something different: his wounds from the battle miraculously healed. Not even a scratch was left.

Before he got a chance to even think about it, yet another light caught his eye from behind him, coming from the princess's hand. This one shown brightest on the lower-left.

_What in the name of Nayru?_

"The Triforce parts resonate," said Ganondorf. Jereth began to get more and more afraid of this man. The hungry look in his eyes never left sight of him. No, not him, but the figure that was now shining on Jereth's hand. He could tell Ganondorf coveted it. Whatever it was, he wanted it more than anything, enough to kill for it. 

"Jereth, Hero of Time and Holder of the Triforce of Courage," the man boomed in a godlike voice. "The time has come to restore the Triforce into its True Force. Return your piece to your king and affirm your allegiance with me."

Seconds seemed like hours, as Jereth stood there dumbstruck. He didn't know what to do. He knew his mother and fellow Gerudo expected him to do as this man whom they called king said. And he knew this man was extremely powerful, and would do whatever it took to get this power that he had in his hand. 

But he also knew that for some reason, that would be a terrible mistake. Something inside him kept screaming at him to keep the piece away from Ganondorf, to just run. Get away from him. 

_RUN! _

He didn't know why, and didn't want to think about it now, but Jereth turned from the man and started running as fast as his feet could take him. He heard the angry shouts from behind him ordering the others to stop him, and saw his mother furiously shrieking at him and trying to pull her pistol out.

_She's pulling a gun on me?_

He approached the princess, still lying on the floor, now unconscious. She had a figure on her hand too, and that meant she could tell him what's going on later. Not breaking in stride, Jereth bent down and scooped her up, flinging her limp body over his right shoulder. He found her to be surprisingly light.

The shot of his mother's pistol resounded through the room, it's bullet whizzing by Jereth's face. He continued running, but felt a sting and small trickle of blood roll down his cheek. It barely nicked him below his left eye. His own mother had shot to kill him.

He was about to charge through the Gerudos, then reflexively parried with the sword he had removed up to block Zaniia's glaive. She pulled back and slashed at his neck and chest. Moving out of her glaive's reach, he ducked and slashed upwards, knocking her weapon up. Seeing an opening, he quickly rammed her in the gut with his left elbow, doubling her over followed by a hard knee in her face. The force of the blow knocked her senseless.

 Knowing that he couldn't stay there, he left her where she laid and turned to leave. The others began to draw their weapons as well, preparing to form a barricade. Running fast now, he screamed as he crashed through the Gerudos, and hoped none of them would stab him with something… and continued running through the other side, past the fallen women, jumped over the altar and its jewels, and flew down the great hall, out the Temple's doors.

As she watched her son sprint through the doors, Zagita couldn't have been more infuriated. He had left with the two Triforce pieces; he'd deserted them when they needed him most, and it meant he would have to pay the price when he was found.

Her attention shifted then to her comrades. Zaniia was obviously no match for the boy, and the rest had been useless in stopping him. Pathetic, one boy escapes nineteen able Gerudo.

Things were not going well at all.

"Uhnn…"

She turned around to face the platform where Ganondorf still knelt, to see him bend further over in pain. Something was wrong with him.

"Attend to his majesty!"

Four of the women rushed over to their king, two on each side of him. He was a heavy man, and they strained to support his body. Zagita walked closer and saw that he seemed to be turning a sickly pale. No, please don't tell me he's dying, she thought worryingly.

"All you alright, my lord? What is wrong?"

"I'm…" he was struggling to speak. "The void… it has made me weak over time. I needed…" He paused, taking in another gulp of air. "I was better while the other pieces were closer to me. I have to rest now." Lifting his head to face her, she could see how much pain he was in. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was sweating profusely. He spoke again between panting, "Take me… take me to… the valley."

Zagita nodded. They had to get him to their headquarters for him to regain his strength. At her finger snap, two of the women gathered up Zaniia and carried her over where the others gathered at the platform around the king, some of them helping the wounded along. One of the women who stood in the center began to cast Farore's Wind, causing a greenish light to envelope her. The light began to spread around the group, and a wind circled them, growing stronger by the second. The force fluxed at its climax-

-and the next instant, the group of twenty-four Gerudo vanished in thin air.

Jereth's lungs burnt as he ran down the alleys of Hyrule Town back where they had entered before. He kept thinking of the others back in the Temple. He knew they'd come after him, and probably kill him for his disobedience, especially if it was against this "king" of theirs.

_Why? Why did this happen? Why is mother acting this way? It doesn't make sense!_

He was at least glad that the sleeping powder used on the tower guards earlier would keep them out for another few hours, allowing him once again to move entirely unnoticed. A quick jump against the outer wall and a kick against the side of another house easily placed him on the top of the town's wall, leaving him with a three- or four-story drop into the moat below. He didn't know how the still unconscious princess would handle that, but at the moment his mind was still centered on getting his hide as far as possible from his former comrades. 

He hadn't quite caught his breath from the running yet, but he took as deep of one as he could, and leapt of the wall's edge into the freezing moat below.

The shock of the cold water almost made his body go completely numb. He lost hold of the princess and the sword upon impact, and frantically started searching for them in the dark while fighting from blacking out. After a few dives under and feeling around, he took hold of the sword, but still no princess.

_Come on; don't tell me I've lost her! I just know she has answers!_

Throwing the sword on dry land, he continued to feel around for the lost Sheikah. Several minutes went by without success. Now Jereth was starting to panic. If she drowned, then he'd be alone against Ganondorf. He didn't even know what the Triforce he had mentioned earlier was, much less where to start in trying to protect it.

Maybe she's floated downstream, he thought. It was his last idea before he was about to give up, even more so because he was beginning to go into shock, so he started to kick his way down the moat, now trembling from the frigid current.

Finally, his foot felt a hand brush against it, and he dove once again to grab the princess and pull her up.

Jereth crawled out of the icy moat, and dragged the princess ashore. No longer having his strength, he rolled over on his back to catch his breath. He took in several gulps of air, struggling to keep himself from giving in to the fatigue. 

After a few moments, his tiresome gasping calmed down and he began to feel better. Fortunately, his blood could heat him up very fast from his adaptation to the desert, but he wasn't so sure about the princess. He knelt beside her and tore away the mask that wrapped around her head, revealing her beautiful face. She looked like she might be a few years older. Shoulder length platinum hair; very fair skin, ruby lips.

But she wasn't breathing.

"Oh, please don't!" he yelled while shaking her violently. "Wake up! I need you right now! Don't you dare say your dead!" Receiving no reply, he dropped her limp body and continued to fluster. He healed himself earlier, but he had no idea if and how he could do it for her. He didn't have any potions or fairies on him…

As soon as the idea struck him, he felt stupid for not looking for one on her in the first place. Sure enough, he opened a small satchel she had on her belt, and there was a red healing potion. He sat her up against his leg, holding her head up and opening her mouth, and uncorked the bottle to pour some of the liquid down her throat.

Immediately several of her blood-spattered wounds began to close, but she still wasn't breathing.

Oh no, please don't say I'm too late, he thought, biting his lip. He poured the stuff faster. All of her wounds were closed now, and her skin began to gain some color. Still no breath though. The bottle emptied, and he felt the pain of hopelessness. What a waste-

-his thoughts were interrupted by a gush of water being spit in his face.

Falling back in shock, he looked over to see her coughing up the cold moat water. Thanking Nayru for this gift, he crawled back over where she laid. All the water was out of her system, and she was still coughing trying to catch her breath, but she was alive.

"Hey, hey. You alright? You really scared me there for a second?"

Once again, he received no response. She was sleeping now from exhaustion.

_Oh well, good enough for me._

The Gerudo would surely be on his tail soon, hence Jereth wasted no more time. He wondered why they weren't here by now in the first place, but he really didn't want to know right now. Lifting the girl onto his shoulder and grabbing the sword again, he bolted off down the field.

"Bring his majesty in here!" Zagita ordered the others. It took eight women to carry King Ganondorf into Jereth's old room. Their arms were almost breaking from carrying the giant man, even for a short while. They finally got him to the large skin-covered bed and plopped him down, its boards cracking from under his weight.

The three wounded women and Zaniia were taken to another room for medical attention. One of the women looked as if her lower leg would have to be cut off, and another was stabbed deep in the stomach and the bleeding wouldn't stop. She may not be as likely to survive. A Sheikah had attacked the other woman with a club from behind, breaking her back and rendering her legs useless. Hopefully, some magic of a sort would save her later.

By now, Ganondorf's weakness had subsided a bit, and he wasn't on the brink of collapse. But he still could hardly move. He opened his eyes to see a well-lit adobe room with several trophy skulls and hides hanging on the walls, and looked towards Zagita. "Where are we?"

"You are at our headquarters, sire, in the middle of the Haunted Wastelands. No one knows we are here-"

"Haunted Wastelands?" He looked at her quizzically, and almost menacingly. "I told you to take me to Gerudo Valley. Why aren't we at the Fortress?"

Zagita cleared her throat and approached the side of the bed where he laid. "I'm afraid, sire, that it was not an option to take you there. Over the past century and a half, the whole of the Gerudo race has lost their loyalties to you and our heritage. They have sworn allegiance to Hyrule and are no longer a proud race of thieves. We," she referred to the other women behind her, who at once bowed down, "are the only ones who have kept your legacy. And we wish to restore the rightful throne to you. The current king is unfit for such a title."

He sat silent for a moment, looking somewhat stunned by the news. The Gerudo Thieves had forgotten him. They deserted him when he had lost the Triforce's True Force, and have abandoned the way of life that had been led for several centuries. How could such a thing happen while he was away?

_How is it that such a small group is the only bit of fidelity I have left?_

"And your… _son?_" The word was spat out, and Zagita's brow furrowed at the word. "Was he supposed to be loyal to me as well? Why did he suddenly turn from me?"

"I cannot lie to you, my liege. I fear the reason he may have betrayed us is because I never told him about anything beyond the Ocarina of Time before this evening. He had no knowledge of your existence."

"What?!" Ganondorf rose and shouted, only to fall back to the bed, not yet strong enough to even get angry. "Am I to understand that his disloyalties lie in your failure to tell him who his king is? That if it hadn't been for your incompetence, he'd have never run and I would have recovered the two pieces of the Triforce? Is that what you are telling me, woman?!"

"Begging your pardon, sire, I believe I had no choice!" Zagita quickly blurted out. The room fell into a cold silence for what seemed like an eternity until Ganondorf motioned for her to continue. "You must remember that the boy is indeed the Hero of Time. Being that, I believed that it would be unwise to tell him of you lest some part of him would force him to do otherwise. I never told him anything of the Triforce or the Sacred Realm or the Sages or even of who he was. I thought if I did, then he would've inquired to someone on the information and they'd have given him the same story that the entire kingdom knows about: that Link the Hero of Time defeated Ganond-"

"Stop," Ganondorf commanded as he held up his hand for silence. "I understand now. Somehow, he would've been fed that truth and he'd have never gone along with the plans." Zagita nodded. He sighed and looked at the ceiling. "But now that he has fled with the princess, we are short two pieces of a full Triforce." Another silence filled the room for a brief moment. "Soon the princess will surely tell him what everyone knows and he will become our sworn enemy."

Zagita shook her head and stammered to contradict him. "Th- that's hard to say. He's a proud Gerudo and has always been faithful to us. In fact, this is one of the few times he has ever defied us. If she lashes out at us, he may not listen to her because he defends his race." She paused for a minute as a thought lit up in her mind. She began to smile. "I believe he may still remain on our side."

Ganondorf turned his head to stare at her. "I beg your pardon?"

"He's probably only confused, my liege. He left because of the immense power that he had never seen or felt before and he only leaves us because he is so unsure of the situation. If we can find him and persuade him to come back, we can give him the right idea and he would gladly serve you."

Ganondorf lay there motionless and continued to glower at her. Her smile began to fade. Perhaps he didn't like the plan at all.

"You expect me," Ganondorf said in a dead tone, "to believe that the Hero of Time, Link's descendant, would call me master for the rest of his life? That he'd actually kneel to me? No. He's too dangerous to be kept alive, and he now wields the one weapon that could destroy us. We can't take that risk, we have to hunt him down and kill him." He turned his head back to the ceiling and closed his eyes.

Zagita stood agape at this command. Kill Jereth? Kill her son?

_Why not? I tried to shoot him earlier, didn't I?_

No. No, she hadn't meant to do that. She didn't even know why she made such a rash decision like that earlier. Jereth was too valuable to them to die. "My liege?"

He turned to stare at her again. "What now?" he said annoyingly.

She began slowly. "With all due respect, I simply think he may be more useful to us alive. When it comes down to it, he could be an incredible knight on our side. He's an excellent fighter and has always been a dedicated Gerudo thief and hunter. I believe he would be an asset at your disposal, one that would be invaluable. Please consider this."

Ganondorf remained still for a good while, looking as if he was conflicting on the matter very methodically. Then his eyes returned to her. "I will think on it when I have my strength back. Right now, I require my rest. The void has sapped my power over these past years and it may take a long time to regain full strength." He turned away from her to get some sleep. "Now let me be."

"Yes, sire." It was all Zagita could say. He was in no mood to discuss the matters now. All she could do was hope that his decision would be in her favor. She turned and walked back towards the room's only door and ordered the other women to leave as well.

"Just answer me this."

Zagita halted and faced her king. "Of course, sire."

"How did the Hero of Time become a Gerudo?"

She took on a solemn look before she answered. "Jereth isn't my son by birth. He does not know that he is not an actual Gerudo." She turned and left the room, allowing her king to sleep.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 4

Sins of the Past

Chapter 4

            _Don't remove the key. Don't release him._

            Liliana stirred in her sleep for several hours before she groggily woke up in an unknown room. Her vision was hazy at first and her head just hurt like crazy. She could just barely remember being underwater at some point.

            _And then what? Wasn't something poured down my throat?_

            She could hardly move from her bedding, but her vision started to get better, as well as her feeling. The bedding felt itchy and dry for some reason, then her brain kicked into gear and realized it was straw. She looked around her. There was a small fire built in the middle of the small room, and the surroundings consisted of mostly more hay and sacks of wheat. The stonewalls were in a square shape and went up almost two stories with two small windows near the ceiling, more like just air openings. A water barrel filled almost to the top stood next to the only doorway that led outside.

            _Looks like a farm shed or crop storage. Must be out in the fields._

            The Triforce! Ganondorf!!

            Fear swept through her body and caused her to sit up too fast, making her lean back again because of her throbbing headache. She slowly calmed herself down, getting a hold of herself. 

            _Think rationally. If he had taken the Triforce, you'd be dead right now. You're obviously not dead, so somehow you were saved. He didn't get it. Fine then, so how'd I get out here, and why a shed? And where's my savior?_

"Well, it's about time you got up."

            The cynical voice from above made her jump again, looking for the speaker. She hadn't noticed it before, but now she saw a figure in the shadows. It was too dark to see whom, but the voice was a man's, and a young one.

            "Who are you?" she demanded, looking for something to defend herself with. She also finally noticed her weapon was gone.

            The shadow looked like it shrugged a bit, then leaned into the fire's light from above. Sure enough, it was a young male with dark skin and extremely long hair, looking as if it was red but was changing to a dark brownish color. He also wore a black vest-tunic and seemed to have tattooed shoulders. Liliana couldn't identify him immediately, but a second of thinking clicked it.

            The Gerudo. The Hero of Time.

            "YOU!!" She screamed enraged, barely containing herself from coming after him to tear his face off. "What are you doing here, you bastard?! You did this to us all, you released the evil!"

            "Hey, I only did what I was ordered to do, so don't blame me, princess." Jereth didn't need this right now. He waited a long time for her to hurry up and wake herself. Not to mention he went through a lot of trouble to find a suitable place to hide, then was forced to stay and watch for any threats at night while she got to rest nicely. He was in no mood to take any crap she had to offer.

            "Well, I do blame you. You attacked the Sheikah with your band of thieves and have released possibly the worst thing you could have on Hyrule! Now why don't you tell me why the supposed 'Hero,'" she said mockingly, "has suddenly turned against us? Huh?! What kind of-"

            "Oh, will you shut UP!" He shouted and turned his back on her. This had gotten really annoying fast. "Just shut up. I'd think you'd be grateful considering I just saved your miserable life." Silences filled the room again, save for the crackling of the small fire. He sighed and turned to face her again, finding she still wore a furious expression. His face returned his own.

            "What do you want then?" she asked sneering.

            "You've got answers to what the hell is going on. So tell me: who was that guy, what's the Triforce, why does he want it, and what," he held up the Master Sword, now in a gold plated sheath, "is this?" He tossed it down. It landed at her feet, near the fire.

            She bent down and picked up the sword, removing it slightly from its sheath and inspecting it, as if to see if there was something wrong. Satisfied, she set it down again and looked back up. "That's the Master Sword. That's the weapon forged to smite evil, and the key to opening the Sacred Realm."

            "Yes, another thing for me to wonder. What's the Sacred Realm?"

            His awful attitude got on her nerves in no time whatsoever. Ignoring the statement, she continued. "The man you saw was Ganondorf, the former king of the Gerudo race, and now the Great King of Evil. He holds the Triforce of Power, I hold the Triforce of Wisdom, and you hold-"

            "Alright, alright." He sounded more annoyed as she went along. "I don't need minor details, just tell me what they are and why he wants them."

            "They're the relics left from the three goddesses who created this land," she said through gritted teeth. "They form one True Force with the power to grant whatever wish you want. He wants all three pieces to rule the world. You hold the Triforce of Courage and that makes you the Hero of Ti-"

            "Shut up already, I've heard enough of that Hero of Time shit." That was the last straw for Liliana.

            "Alright, bastard. It is not 'shit!' It is fact! You are the Hero of Time, you hold the Triforce of Courage, and you let him out! Why not stop pretending to be a damn Gerudo and take some responsibility?!" The last part got to him. He jumped from the rafter he was standing on and stood before her, glowering into her eyes with hate. She knew she probably went a little far, but she refused to move.

            "What did you say?" he hissed.

            "You think I'm afraid of you?" When she received no response except for a growl, she did the most un-princess-like thing she'd ever done: she spat in his face.

            He didn't stand for it. In an instant, his arm flew up and he backhanded her, hard. She fell in the straw in a heap, her cheek stinging and her anger searing as she reached for the sword. She almost ripped it out of its sheath and would've thrown it into his stomach had the next second she found herself on the edge of death. His two swords were crossed and placed up to her neck in a scissor-like fashion, ready to decapitate her if she moved.

            "I've had a very bad day so far, so don't even think of pushing me." He spoke in very quiet tones, almost frightening. "I may have some honor on me, but I'm not afraid to kill a woman, especially one with a sword. Now put it down."

            "You kill me, and you'll be in a world of trouble. I have the other Triforce, and I know how to stop Ganondorf. Without me, you're stuck."

            "Do you honestly think I care right now?" he asked. She puzzled over this. The idea that he would do something so stupid was astounding. "Put the sword down."

            Reluctantly, she slammed the sword back in its sheath and threw it in the hay. He removed his own swords and put the back on his back straps. Then he went and sat in the pile of hay across from her.

            She felt her burning cheek. That was twice she'd been slapped this evening. In the back of her mind, she was actually glad he stopped her. She almost let her anger get the better of her and make her kill him. That alone would've been disastrous.

            "Now, lets start over. Why don't you tell me more about this stuff?"

            _Winds blew strong through the Haunted Wastelands. Zagita could hardly keep herself standing as she wondered aimlessly. She'd been foolish to leave at this time of night; she should've just left in the morning to get away from those pitiful excuses of Gerudos. Allegiance with the King of Hyrule was simply more than she could stand, but abandoning them at this time was unwise. She could die out here._

_            Not that it mattered. She'd lost everything. She'd lost her pride as a Gerudo, her place among the people, her home, and soon her life. It was the Sheikahs' entire fault. They made the arrangements for the pact, they offered the Gerudo race their sympathy, they took away their honor. And they planned her downfall. This was no place for a forty-two year old woman, not even one as experienced as she. There was nowhere to go, but she didn't care anymore. Anywhere but that awful place was good enough for her, even if it was a grave._

_            As she climbed the next dune, the winds just blew faster and stronger. She couldn't even see her own hands in front of her, much less turn back if she wanted to. From then on, she decided to just keep going until she fell from exhaustion and the sand covered her. It'd all end there, and there'd probably be no pain. She would just fade into blackness and…_

_            Her thoughts were interrupted when for the first time she could actually see something in the wind. It was a shadow, holding out a light of some sort, and wearing a cloak flapping in the wind. She crawled closer to it, and could barely see the person's outline. It appeared to be more… feminine._

_            But something about it seemed strangely familiar. The cloak, the strange cold winds about it, its eerie glowing lantern, and… the yellow flashing eyes._

_            A poe._

_            Before she could back away, it whispered to her._

_            "Zagita… Jereth… Ganondorf."_

            The last thought awoke Zagita from her nightmare. She tried to calmed herself down, but couldn't catch her breathe quite a fast any more. She looked around her room, saw everything was in good order, and relaxed.

            The dream. It was how she had first heard of the great king Ganondorf and the Hero of Time. But that was twenty years ago, when the current Gerudo king had aligned with the king of Hyrule. The very same night, that woman, the Mistress of the Poes, Azeal, had given her a vision.

            She could never forget that time, for it was that moment that started the chain that led her up to now. She and her small band of followers learned of Azeal from seeking her out by others' information, and made the journey to find the mysterious demigoddess soon afterwards. There they were told how they could win back the pride of the Gerudo race and how to release Ganondorf. And it was there that she first learned of the unborn Hero of Time, Jereth.

            Even though it was still the middle of the night, Zagita rose from her bed, unable to sleep any longer. Perhaps some more thinking of her plans would settle her. Her pipe also had that talent, so she picked it up and added more tobacco to it this time.

            In just a short amount of time, a think cloud of smoke had already surrounded her head. But she was also cold at night. She walked over and grabbed her cloak from the corner chair, wrapped it over her gown, and decided to walk around the headquarters for a while.

            The room with the wounded was busy all night. Those who knew how to treat them slaved over them until they were either healed or dead. Most of the treatment included potions and captured fairies, but some wounds needed more then that. The woman that was stabbed in the stomach was attempted with bandages and sewing it shut, but it continued to bleed after. She had to be constantly given potion after potion while fairies did everything they could to close the wound. Nothing was working for her.

            Zagita knew it was no use trying, she was only wasting supplies by receiving treatment. She ordered the medics to stop giving her anything and put her out of her misery. After giving her hurt and shameful looks, the Gerudos sadly put the fairies back in their jars and grabbed the potions out of the barely conscious woman's hands, and Zagita watched coldly as the women very silently reached behind her neck and snapped her vertebrate, killing her instantly.

            "It was for the best," she said emotionless. "She was only suffering more and she died without pain. Now go help the others with the two women who'll live." They barely nodded before moving to the other end of the room. It was sad to put your own comrades out, but she knew this was no time for such sympathy. They needed all the supplies they could get, and as she could see, they were already running short.

            The other two wounded were more alive than the stabbed woman was, but in no less pain. They had already amputated the woman's lower leg and had given enough potions to slow the bleeding to bandage it, but Zagita hadn't heard her screaming before as they cut through the bone and torn muscles. She had to be given potions just to keep her from dying of the shock.

            They'd decided there was no way to treat the woman with the broken back. All they could do was give her water, liquor or anything to keep her comfortable for the time being, and then when Ganondorf woke up, hope that he'd be able to use magic to help her.

            Speaking of which, she thought it'd be best to see how he was doing down the hall. As expected, he was still sleeping like a stone, most likely not to awaken for several more hours. He was so tired when he left the void, she was almost afraid it had drained his life away.

            _Never. He couldn't die; the Triforce has practically made him immortal._

            With that reassuring thought, Zagita took a long puff of her pipe, and wondered down the halls, thinking over what would be the next move.

            "So this Link sealed him up in the Sacred Realm one-hundred and fifty years ago, and now we have to reseal him?" Jereth summoned it up quite nicely. He and Liliana had talked over the entire past in the past half hour.

            "That's right." She was still cross from the earlier fights, though. "Now that I've told you everything about the matter, why don't you answer me some questions? How is it that you didn't know about-"

            "Wait, you didn't answer me this." He interrupted for the eighth time that night. It was really getting on her nerves. He picked up the Master Sword. "When I got this from the Pedestal, it didn't have a sheath. How'd one suddenly appear earlier while you were sleeping?"

            What annoyed her even more was that he'd been thinking all this time was a dumb question like that. She humored him anyways. "The sword is magical, if you haven't figured it out yet. Once it finds a user, you, it gives him the right equipment and knowledge of it to use it properly. If you used it earlier, you must've noticed how you were able to naturally handle it."

            He snorted. "Well, I don't need it. I have my own swords." He referred to the two cutlasses strapped to his back. She didn't take the comment too well.

            "Those swords are nothing compared to the Master Sword," she said defiantly. "Besides, you were meant to use this weapon. Anything your two knives can do, this can do much better. On top of that, this sword is unbreakable."

            "Well guess what: so are these."

            "This is the only sword that can stop Ganondorf. Only it must be used."

            "Listen!" His voice rose quickly. She'd decided by now that he simply didn't like people disagreeing with him, ever. Well, neither did she. "These are the only weapons I ever use, and that's final. If you like the sword so much, why don't you use it? You need a weapon anyway."

            "I'm not meant to use it. I'm not the Hero of _Time_!" Her responses were getting her nowhere save making him angry again. She heaved a sigh and gave up. "Fine. I'll use it. Maybe you'll see who's better once you see both swords in action."

            As she bent to pick up the sword and strap it to her back, she heard him say under his breath "Not bloody likely." To this, she returned no response. He was just too much to bear.

            Silence filled the room again. The fire had dimmed a bit, and they were going to need to add firewood or kindling soon.

            Once again, he started the new conversation. "Look, I'll keep watch for anything that approaches. Why don't you get some more sleep for now and I'll wake you in the morning so we can decide what to do?"

            "I'm not tired," she murmured, still refusing to look at him. He just shrugged and got up, moving towards the water barrel. He pulled something out of his tunic, what looked like a red potion, but she could tell it wasn't from the different tint, almost cloudy. Then he began to soak his long hair in the barrel, rubbing it and getting the red coloring off it.

            "What are you doing?" she asked puzzled. She knew he wasn't a Gerudo because he had brown hair, not the natural red. He ignored her and uncorked the small bottle. As he lifted his wet hair from the barrel, he poured the stuff on his head and began to rub it in. Within seconds, the brown hair was turning a blood-red color. "Are you re-coloring your hair?"

            "Ever since I was young, I've been cursed without the Gerudo red. So I always put it back in. It's a matter of pride." She grunted in frustration.

            "Oh, please. Don't tell me you actually believe you're a Gerudo!" When all she received was a deadly glare, she got even more flustered. "Din's Fire, and I actually thought you might have some brains!"

            "You will hold your tongue, or you will be fed it!" He finished soaking his hair and continued to rub in the liquids while he sat down again. "I am a Gerudo, and I will always have pride to be in its race! Don't you dare say anything like that against them."

            "Well, your race just did a very bad thing, if you haven't noticed already. Not to mention, I was a little conscious while you had to fend them off. I believe they tried to kill you."

            Every word was getting him more worked up. "It isn't mine or they're fault that they were tricked by that man, alright?! He did something to my mother, possessed her or whatever." Just then, Liliana's eye finally caught sight of the chain medallion around his neck.

            "What is that?" she pointed accusingly. He looked at it, then grabbed it and pulled it out of her sight.

            "It's the token my mother gave me. It would bring me good luck."

            "No! That has the Triforce of Power on it! That's Ganondorf's symbol! You might as well be his follower!"

            "Its none of your business!" He started to turn his back to her, but then got attacked. She knocked him to the ground and wrestled him for the medallion. "Damn you, bitch, get off me!"

            "Take it off! _TAKE IT OFF!_" She pinned one of his arms down, and then received a smack across her face for the third time tonight. She was knocked off him, but as he jumped on her, she grabbed his arms and used her legs to flip him over to place her on top. When he slammed to the ground, she grabbed the medallion.

            And purple and black lightning shot off it, throwing her against the opposite wall while she clutched her hand in intense pain.

            "What the?" he puzzled at the sight, but then something else happened. The ruby on the Triforce medallion began to glow brightly, and the medallion started to get hot. The whole necklace glowed with the strange purple and black energy, and it started to get too hot to bear. He tried frantically to remove it, but it kept shocking his hand and burning into his chest.

            "Get it off, _get it off me!!_" The pain forced him to the floor; it was too much for him. Liliana forgot about her pain and saw that it was now actually burning a black flame on his chest. She grabbed a bucket by the barrel and got some water, then quickly threw some on the agonizing lad. Immediately the water turned to steam as soon as it hit the fire, but it didn't go out. His screams grew louder and louder-

            -and then the chain medallion evaporated, the fire on his chest blew out. He was grabbing at his burn in between convulsions. She got some more water, hoping that would help this time. As she poured some on the burn and across his face, he seemed to calm down, the pain looked as if it subsided.

            "What-… wh-what the hell… wh-wh-was _that?!_"

            She looked at the wound and almost yelped in fright. Instead of a normal black burn that would normally blister, the skin began to heal itself, but the wound left something terrible. A sizzling black Triforce mark had formed on his chest, the same as the one on the medallion. And the top piece was actually glowing a bright red in the dark with magic.

            "I think you can now reconsider what you believe about your friends. They just put a curse on you."

            Zagita felt it in the back of her mind and grinned, showing her stained teeth to the underling she was currently addressing. The trap had worked, Jereth tried to remove the charm and it marked him. Now she had the advantage, she'd always know where he was.

            She told the woman she was talking to that she needed to settle the matter later, and the Gerudo bowed and left her sight. Now she turned her attention to her lieutenant, Zaniia, still unconscious on the cot. The woman's failure to stop Jereth earlier was still burning in her mind, and now that Ganondorf had been released, Zagita felt that there was no need for a second-in-command anymore. But that didn't mean she had outlived her usefulness. Furthermore, she didn't believe in executing those under her command when they were no longer needed. There was always another use for someone, even when they were completely unreliable and helpless.

            Yes, she had splendid plans for her former lieutenant. Ganondorf would surely agree when he awakened. Now that Jereth was marked and the princess with him, they had nowhere to run.

            It was only a matter of time…

TBC…


End file.
